Twelve months out
Begin saving formally and check your passport expiry. If it expires within eighteen months, renew now — every later step depends on it.
Nine months out
Choose your operator and understand exactly what shifting versus non-shifting means for you. Ask specifically which Mina zone your camp is in; it is the difference between a fifteen-minute walk to the Jamarat and an hour.
Six months out
Start walking. Most pilgrims underestimate the physical demand — you will walk far more than you expect, often in heat, often at night. Build to five kilometres comfortably.
Three months out
Vaccinations, a full medical check, and a conversation with your doctor about any chronic condition. Collect enough prescription medicine for the whole trip plus two weeks.
One month out
Attend your training sessions. Learn the rites in order until you can recite the sequence without notes. Settle your debts, seek forgiveness from those you may have wronged, and write your will — a sunnah practice before any long journey.
One week out
Pack light. Photograph your documents. Programme your group leader's Saudi number into your phone and write it on a card in your pocket, because phones run out of battery.
